Unit 10 Flashcards
Ecology
1
Q
what happens since the earth is tilted on its axis
A
solar radiation hits different part of the surface at an angle that varies throughout the year
2
Q
what does the sun do at the north and south poles
A
it is much lower in the sky for night at a time
3
Q
describe the polar zone
A
cold areas where the sun’s rays strike Earth at a very low angle
4
Q
describe the tropical zone
A
receives direct or almost direct sunlight year-round and the climate is always warm
5
Q
what does the unequal heating of Earth’s surface cause
A
it drives winds and ocean currents which transport heat through the biosphere
6
Q
ecology
A
the scientific study of interactions among organisms, and between organisms and their environment
7
Q
environment
A
includes biotic factors (organisms that share the habitat) and abiotic factors (such as sun intensity, windy temp, precipitation, climate, geology)
8
Q
subatomic particles
A
protons and electrons
9
Q
atoms
A
CHONPS
10
Q
macromolecules
A
carbs, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids
11
Q
organelles
A
specialized structure that performs an important cellular function within Eukaryotes
12
Q
cell
A
building block of all living things
13
Q
tissues
A
group of cells that function together to carry out an activity
14
Q
organ
A
group of tissues that function together to carry out activities
15
Q
organ system
A
group of organs that work together to perform a major life function (digestion, respiration, circulation, reproduction, etc)
16
Q
organism
A
unicellular or multicellular form exhibiting all the characteristics of life
17
Q
species
A
group of interbreeding organisms capable of producing fertile offspring
18
Q
population
A
group of organisms of one species that interbreed and live in the same place at the same time; they compete with one another for food, water, mates, and other resources
19
Q
communities
A
several interacting populations that inhabit a common environment and can function because each organism within the ecosystem depends on other organisms
20
Q
ecosystem
A
populations in a community and the abiotic factors with which they interact
21
Q
biospheres
A
a portion of the earth that supports life
22
Q
why do we study ecology
A
to better understand the world around us
23
Q
prokaryotes
A
bacteria
24
Q
eukaryotes
A
protists, plants, animals, fungi
25
producers
make their own food through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis
26
photosynthesis
conversion of light energy from the sun into chemical energy
27
chemosynthesis
process in which chemical energy is used to produce carbohydrates
28
consumers
cannot make their own food, rely on other organisms
29
what are the 3 types of consumers
herbivores, carnivores, onmnivores
30
decomposers
break down dead plants and animals (detitus) to recycle nutrients through the biosphere
31
habitat
the place where organisms live
32
what kind of range do all animals have
tolerance range
33
Niche
the ecological role of an organism in its community
34
occurs when organisms of the same or different species attempt to use an ecological resource at the same time in the same place
results in a winner and loser
competition
35
competitive exclusion principle
no two species can occupy the same niche in the same habitat at the same time
36
predation
an interaction in which one organism (predaot) captures and feeds on another organism (prey)
37
herbivory
an interaction in which a herbivore eats parts of a plant or algae
38
keystone species
single species that is not usually abundant in a community yet exerts strong control on the structure of a community
39
Symbiosis
any relationship in which two species live close together
40
three types of symbiosis
mutualism, commensalism, parasitism
41
mutualism
both organisms benefit
42
commensalism
one organism benefits while the other is unharmed
43
parasitism
one organism lives in or on another organism and harms it
44
ecological succession
ecosystems constantly change in response to natural and human disturbances
45
a series or predictable changes that occur in a community over time
ecological succesion
46
primary succession
succession that occurs on surfaces where no soil of anything exists
47
pioneer species
first organism to populate an area
48
lichens
a mutualistic relationship of fungus and a photosynthetic organism like algae, can grow on bare rock
49
climax community
a stable community that no longer goes through major ecological changes
50
secondary succesion
the return of an ecosystem to its original condition after a disturbance
51
biome
a group of ecosystems with similar climates and organisms
52
natural selection
a process in which individuals that have certain inherited traits tend to survive and reproduce at higher rates than other individuals because of those traits
53
biochemical cycle
process by which materials necessary for an organism's survival are circulated through the environment
54
nitrogen cycle
process by which atmospheric nitrogen enters the soil and becomes part of living organisms before returning to the atmosphere once again
55
nitrogen fixation
process of converting "useless" nitrogen from the air into useful forms such as ammonium or nitrate ions
55
what macromolecule is nitrogen an essential part of
amino acids
55
what makes up 78% of the atmosphere
nitrogen
56
ammonification
when plants and animals die, the nitrogenous compounds within their tissues can be broken down into ammonia by other types of bacteria
57
how are animal wastes broken down
smmonification
58
assimilation
the ammonia produced by ammonification can be assimilated (reused) to make other plants grow
59
nitrification
the ammonia produced during ammonification can be dissolved in water or held in the soil where microorganisms convert it into nitrated through the process of nitrification
60
denitrification
process by which the various nitrogen compounds are converted to the atmosphere
61
what is one of the primary elements, forming all living organisms
carbon
61
carbon cycle
the exchange of carbon between living organisms and non-living environments
62
included in crucial life processes such as photosynthesis and respiration
carbon
63
what happens in carbon reservoirs
carbon is trapped in trees and fossil fuels and released when they are burned
64
whos theory's does the evolution of population link
Darwin's theory of evolution and Medal's pea work
65
why is genetic variation important
genetic variation in populations leads to differences in phenotypes, thus increasing the chances that some individuals will survive
66
does natural selection act on phenotypes or genotypes
phenotypes
67
population
group of individuals of the same species that interbreed
68
what is caused from members of a population interbreeding
a gene pool
68
gene pool
all the genes, including all the alleles from each gene present in a population
69
allele frequency
the number of times an allele occurs in the gene pool compared to the total number of alleles in that pool for that gene with the number of times other alleles for the same gene occur
69
what is evolution in genetic terms
any change in the relation frequency of alleles in a population
70
do populations or individuals evolve
populations
71
mutation
changes in DNA sequencing; may be from mistakes in DNA replication, or exposure to radiation or chemicals in the environment
72
genetic shuffling
results from meiosis and sexual reproduction. Crossing over further increases the # or genotypes
72
what does phenotype expression of a gene depend on
of genes controlling the trait
72
single gene trait
controlled by one gene with two alleles; natural selection on these traits can lead to changes in allele frequency and this to evolution
73
what can affect the distribution of phenotypes
natural selection
73
polygenic trait
controlled by two or more genes with two or more alleles which result in many possible genotypes and phenotypes in a bell shaped curve
74
what are the three ways natural selection can affect the distribution of phenotypes
directional, stabilizing, disruptive
74
form of natual selection in which the entire curve moves; occurs when individuals at one end of a distribution curve have higher fitness than those in the middle or at the other end of the curve
directional selection
75
form of natural selection where the center of the curve remains in its current position but the bell is tighter; occurs when individuals near the center of a distribution curve have higher fitness than individuals at either end
stabilizing selection
76
form of natural selection in which a single curve splits into two; occurs when individuals at the upper and lower ends of distribution carve have higher fitness than individuals near the middle resulting in two distinct phenotypes
disruptive
77
genetic drift
random change in allele frequencies that occurs in small populations
78
is natural selection the only source of evolutionary change
no
79
founder effect
type of fenetic drift that happens when a small group of people start a new population
79
genetic bottleneck
a type of genetic drift that occurs after a population #s decline quickly
79
80
what do scientists do to see how evolutionary change operates
they see what happens when no change takes place
81
what happens if there is no selection pressures for or against a trait
the frequency of dominant and recessive alleles for a trait will be constant, and you can predict the genotype of the next generation
82
how many conditions are required for equalibrium
5
83
what is the 1st condition for equilibrium
there must be random mating
84
what is the 2nd condition for equilibrium
the population must be large
85
85
what is the 4th condition for equilibrium
no mutations
86
what is the 5th condition for equilibrium
no natural selection
86
speciation
the formation of new and distinct species in the course of evolution
87
what are the 3 types of isolation
behavioral, geographic, and temperal
88
behavioral isolation
two populations develop differences in courtship rituals or other types of behavior that prevents them from interbreeding
89
geographic isolation
isolation betweeen populations due to physical barriers
89
temporal isolation
two populations reproduce at different times
90
90
coevolution
process by which two species evolve in response to changes in eachother
91
what is likely to happen when different species have close ecological interactions with each other
coevolution
92
92
interbreeding among members of a population does not alter what
the different types of alleles in the gene pool
93
in genetic drift, allele frequencies change because of what
chance
94
mutations do NOT always effect what
phenotypes
95
populations are separated by barriers such as rivers, mountains, bodies of water, etc.... in what
geographic isolation
96
condition required for maintaining genetic equilibrium
no movement in or out of the population
96
genetic equilibrium of a population can be distributed by everything except
a large population size
97
example of a polygenic trait in humans is
height
97
all members of a population are allowed to do what
interbreed
98
list of examples of organisms that are primary producers
grass, tree, flower, bush
98
99
99
how are herbivores and carnivores alike
both are consumers
100
101
what is another word for heterotroph
consumer
102
102
list examples of abiotic factors
sun intensity, temp, soil,rocks, water
103
list 3 renewable sources
trees, biomass, windpower
103
what does it mean to say that a resource is non-renewable
cannot be replaced after they are used (coal, oil, fossil fuels)
104
why do introduced or invasive species threaten biodiversity
they can crowd out native species
105
how is climate defined
the average year-after-year conditions of temperature and precipitation in a region
106
when would primary succession most likely occur
after a volcanic eruption
107
107
describe what happens during ecological succession of an ecosystem
constantly changing from human and natural changes, changes that occur in a community
108
give an example of organisms that might be found in a climax community like in NW indiana
shrubs and trees
108
108
108
how do predators affect their prey's population
they eat and kill them
109
109
how do greenhouse gasses affect the atmosphere
they create a quilt-like cover on the atmosphere so heat cant escape, causing the atmosphere to heat up
110
111
111
why are lichens important to the ecosystem
they can grow on bare rock; pioneer species; can form soil
112
what are the four factors that influence ecosystems
agriculture, urban development, other species, climate change
113
113
autotroph
an organism that makes it own food
114
heterotroph
an organism that cannot make its own food
115
what do food chains show
what animals eat other animals and what animals just eat plants
116
what do the arrow in a food chain represent
transfer of energy
117
weather
day-to-day conditions of the atmosphere, including temperature, precipitation, and other factors
118
population
a group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area
119
the trapping of heat by the atmosphere, the latitude, the transport of heat by winds and ocean currents, the amount of precipitation that results, the shape and elevation of land mass, the energy of incoming sunlight drives the Earth's weather
causes of climate
120
what is the effect that is like a blanket vs quilt
greenhouse effect
121
what traps the heat energy and maintains earth's temperature range
CO2, CH4, water vapor, and more
122
define the greenhouse effect
the greenhouse effect is the increasing amount of greenhouse gasses in that atmosphere as a result of human activities, and their impact on atmospheric systems
123
what happens at noon on the equator
the sun hits all year round
124
what are the three main climate zones of Earth
polar, temperate, tropical
125
describe the Temperate zone
temperature changes from hot to cold depending on the season (middle zone)
126
why does wind form
warm air rises and cool air sinks
